For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Albuquerque, N.M.—U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in 16 members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) today during her first meeting with HSAC in Albuquerque, N.M.
“I congratulate the members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council on their appointments,” said Secretary Napolitano. “As we work to fulfill the Department’s core mission of securing the country against the many threats it faces, the unique insights and expertise of this diverse council will be a valuable resource.”
At the HSAC meeting, Secretary Napolitano joined with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske to announce President Obama’s National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy. Speaking to a group of local law enforcement, elected officials and members of the public, their remarks were also streamed live to state and local intelligence fusion centers throughout the Southwest.
Comprised of experts from state, local and tribal governments, emergency and first responder communities, academia and the private sector, HSAC provides recommendations and advice directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security. Of the 16 members sworn in today, 10 are new to HSAC and six were re-appointed. The Council is chaired by former CIA and FBI Director Judge William Webster.
Yesterday, Secretary Napolitano announced the formation of the HSAC Southwest Border Task Force, a 20-member group of national security experts charged with providing advice and recommendations on the Department’s efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border.
For more information about HSAC, visit www.dhs.gov/hsac. To view a video of today’s meeting, visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nmspirg-hsac.
HSAC Members
William “Bill” Webster (Chair) is a retired partner at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, LLP. Judge Webster previously served as Director of both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Gary Hart (Vice Chair) is Chairman of the American Security Project. The former senator from Colorado served on the Hart-Rudman Commission and is an advisory board member for the Partnership for a Secure America.
Norman “Norm” Augustine is a retired Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp. Augustine served as chairman and principal officer of the American Red Cross. He was a member of the Hart-Rudman Commission and has been honored five times with the Department of Defense’s highest civilian decoration, the Distinguished Service Medal.
Leroy “Lee” Baca is Sheriff of Los Angeles County. He serves on the boards of directors for the Optimist Youth Homes and Ranch, Puente Learning Center, Buena Nueva Foundation, EMEK Hebrew Academy, and Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, and as well as the University of Southern California Alumni Association board of governors.
Richard “Dick” Cañas is Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. Cañas has served as Director of the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), Special Assistant to the CIA’s Latin American section, and on the White House’s National Security Council (NSC).
Kenneth “Chuck” Canterbury is National President of the Fraternal Order of Police. Prior to his service as President, Canterbury spent 25 years with the Horry County Police Department of Conway, S.C.
Jared “Jerry” Cohon is President of Carnegie Mellon University. Cohon served as a Legislative Assistant for energy and the environment for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. President Bill Clinton appointed him to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
Ruth David is President and CEO of ANSER. Previously, David served as CIA Deputy Director for Science and Technology and represented the CIA on numerous national committees and advisory bodies, including the National Science and Technology Council and the Committee on National Security.
Manny Diaz is mayor of Miami and President of the United States Conference of Mayors. Diaz is also a partner in the law firm of Diaz & O’Naghten, L.L.P.
Clark Kent Ervin is Director of the Aspen Institute’s Homeland Security Program. He served as the first Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Louis Freeh is Senior Managing Partner of Freeh Group International. He served as the FBI Director and as a Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Ellen Gordon is Associate Director and Faculty for the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security. Gordon previously served as the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor and Homeland Security and Emergency Management Administrator for the state of Iowa.
Lee Hamilton is President and Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Hamilton spent 34 years in Congress, representing Indiana's Ninth District and served on the Hart-Rudman Commission and as vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission.
Raymond Kelly is the Police Commissioner of the City of New York. Kelly formerly served as Senior Managing Director of Global Corporate Security at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. Previously, he served as Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service and as Under Secretary for Enforcement at the U.S. Treasury Department.
John Magaw is a Domestic and International Security Consultant who most recently served as the Under Secretary for Security at the Department of Transportation. Magaw has served as Acting Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Director of the U.S. Secret Service.
Jeff Moss is Founder and Director of Black Hat and DEFCON Computer Hacker Conferences. Moss has also worked for Ernst & Young, LLP in their Information System Security division.
Martin O’Malley is Governor of Maryland. Governor O’Malley previously served as Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, as a member of the Baltimore City Council, and Mayor of Baltimore City.
Sonny Perdue is Governor of Georgia. Previously, he was a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, a member of the Houston County Planning and Zoning Board and a member of the Georgia State Senate.
Harold Schaitberger is General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters. He also serves as a vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and on the AFL-CIO Executive Committee, where he is a vice president of the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council.
Joe Shirley, Jr. is President of the Navajo Nation. He also served as a member of the Advisory Committee to the President's Commission of Sustainable Communities in Washington, D.C.
Kareem Shora is National Executive Director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). In 2008, he was selected by the Ford Foundation as a member of the Foreign Policy Task Force.
Lydia Thomas is a trustee of Noblis, Inc. She is a member of the Virginia Governor’s Commission on Climate Change and serves on the Board of Directors of the Cabot Corporation, the United States Energy Association, and the Northern Virginia Technology Council.
Frances Fragos Townsend is a partner at Baker Botts, L.L.P. She previously served as Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and Assistant District Attorney.
Chuck Wexler is Executive Director of the Police Executive Research Forum. Wexler was an assistant to the nation’s first Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and Operations Assistant to the Boston Police Commissioner.
John “Skip” Williams is Provost of The George Washington University (GWU) and serves as Vice President for Health Affairs at the GWU Medical Center. In 2002, the Republic of Panama bestowed the Order of Vasco Nunez de Balboa on Williams for his efforts to create the International Center for Tropical Diseases and Genomic Studies.
Ex Officio members:
Edward Mueller is President and CEO of Qwest. Mueller previously served as CEO of Williams-Sonoma and currently serves as a Director of The Clorox Company and McKesson Corporation.
Erle Nye is Chairman Emeritus of TXU Corp. Nye served on the advisory committee to the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection and on the U. S. Department of Energy’s Electric System Reliability Task Force. He is also a member of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.
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